IT is a stressful industry, but taking simple steps to reduce stress in the workplace can help IT pros do their best work, stay healthy and love their job.

Although most workplaces rely on email for communication, that is not the most effective method. According to theEMPLOYEEapp’s "Mobile Trends in the Workplace" survey, 30 percent of employees ignore emails.

Encourage your employees to communicate regularly in face-to-face conversations. Social tools and mobile apps can help keep communication flowing with remote workers, but only eight percent of them use social tools and only 10 percent use mobile apps.

To keep everyone on the same page and reduce unnecessary stress, be sure all the members of your IT team are connected.

Encourage Breaks

To recharge and prevent burnout, your IT employees should take regular breaks and time off. However, in our current working culture, taking time off can have a stigma, so many employees don’t take advantage of the sick, vacation and personal days allotted to them.

Working all the time can lead to unhealthy habits for employees and increased costs for employers. In an analysis conducted in 2014 on behalf of Project: Time Off, Oxford Economics found that unused vacation time has accumulated $224 billion in liabilities for private American companies.

After busy and stressful times, encourage your IT workers to take mental health days. Remind them to take small breaks throughout the work day, and discourage them from skipping their lunch break to get more work done. Breaks and time off will keep your IT employees from overworking, stressing out and eventually burning out.

IT is a naturally stressful industry: Technology is constantly changing, and there’s a shortage of talent. But taking simple steps to alleviate stress in the workplace can help IT pros do their best work, stay healthy and love their job.

How do you help de-stress your IT employees? Let us know in the comments below!

Tim Cannon is the vice president of product management and marketing at HealthITJobs.com, a free job search resource that provides access to more than 1,000 health industry IT jobs. You can connect with Tim on LinkedIn.